Curling Equipment

Brooms: we sell lots of them at Goldline every year. Both our Fiberlite and Carbon Fiber brooms come in a variety of colours, so our customers are easily able to find a shade which suits their taste.

But what if you are looking for something truly unique?

Official Team Canada Broomby Goldline Curling

Back before the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Debbie McCormick (a Goldline distributor in the U.S.) approached us wondering how the U.S. Olympic curling teams could set themselves apart. Goldline came up with the idea of doing custom curling brooms, and had unique designs created for each of the American, Canadian and Swiss Olympic curling teams.

We’ve continued to see interest in customization since the Olympics. But ever since we hooked up with Steve Lobel, a senior graphic designer (and part time curler) at Lobel Designs based out of Whitby, Ontario, the level of sophistication in our designs has hit a new peak and we are receiving more calls every week, as customers see Steve’s fantastic creations out on the ice.

This year, we’ve done custom brooms for all the Scots who took part in the Strathcona Cup Tour. At the 2013 national Scotties, Ontario’s Homan team (the Scotties champion) as well as the teams from Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia all used brooms featuring unique images that were specifically designed for them. If you are watching the Brier, you will likewise see all of our Goldline ambassadors (namely the Martin team from Alberta, the Gushue team from Newfoundland, and the Virtue team from Saskatchewan) using customized brooms.

Our most recent accomplishment: designing a broom for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who had a chance to meet the Homan team in Ottawa on Tuesday March 5 and wish them well as they prepare to leave for Riga, Latvia, for the women’s world curling championships.

Stephen Harper with custom curling brush from Goldline Curling

Corporations, teams and individuals are looking for ways to make their own statement and stand apart from their rivals. Consider Amarula, a sponsor of numerous curling events. We recently produced a large number of brushes for Amarula.

“We are thrilled with how our custom brooms turned out! The Amarula Brand is really brought to life by the artwork on the brooms. Making a custom Amarula Broom really helped to tie our brand closer to curling and gave us a fun way to put our spirit brand directly in the hands of curlers. They have become quite coveted! Amarula is really proud to be a partner with Goldline in creating such a unique brush for our curling promotions.”
Priya Shah – Special Events and Sponsorship Manager, Amarula/PMA Canada Ltd.

We also do custom imprinted brush pads, subject to a minimum order of 48 pads.

For next season, we will feature information on custom brooms in our catalogue and website. In the interim, if you are interested in learning more about pricing and designs, please contact Erin Flowers at erin@goldline.ca.

Typically brush shafts are made of carbon fiber or fiberglass (or some combination of the two). If we were to draw an analogy with cars, a 100% carbon fiber brush would be the Cadillac, while brushes with shafts containing fiberglass (at Goldline, this would be our Fiberlite brush) would be considered your basic Volkswagon.

Now, truth be told, the Fiberlite brush is a terrific option for many curlers, particularly those who are new to the sport or play primarily for recreation. That being the case, why and when should you consider investing in carbon fiber?

The reason is simple a straightforward: carbon fiber is lighter than fiberglass (see chart below) and the lighter the brush, the more effective your sweeping should be.

1”

11/8”

Carbon Fiber

170 grams

200 grams

Fiberlite

270 grams

300 grams

A difference in weight of 100 grams (just over 3 ounces) may not seem significant, but those who curl more competitively will confirm that using a lighter brush will improve your sweeping. You will be able to apply more pressure using a carbon fiber brush and hence carry a rock further.

Carbon fiber does carry a higher price tag, but if you are thinking about taking your game to the next level, it may well be worth making the investment!

Hockey: after a 113 day lockout, the players and owners finally reached an agreement in the NHL lockout. On Saturday January 19, the first games of a 48-game schedule hit the ice.

It’s time to set aside the bitter feelings and show your support for your favourite NHL team. Goldline now carries curling brooms that feature logos of each of our Canadian NHL teams: Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and Montreal Canadiens.

Goldline Exclusive: NHL Broom Heads

The brooms feature a light weight composite handle, and images and logos of each team are featured on the broom handle as well as on the accompanying pad. To protect that pad, we have broom covers carrying the logos for each of the teams. Brooms, imprinted pads and covers for each team are available for purchase at all our retail stores and online.

Will we be adding other NHL teams to the line up next season? It is under consideration, but we won’t be announcing our final decision until this summer. Visit our website regularly to see what new teams may appear in our 2013/14 lineup.

Dr. Goldline is not a real doctor, the moniker is used purely for entertainment value. The views expressed here are entirely those of the author and not of management or any other curler.

Question: Dr. Goldline, how often should I replace my curling brush head?

Any sweeper would relish the opportunity to sweep his/her skip’s rock to the button to score the winning point in a game but a dirty brush head could ruin that opportunity! Grasshopper, make sure your brush head is clean when you are out on the ice!

As curlers we all know that sweeping is key in cleaning the ice surface and helping a rock get closer to its intended destination. If we put aside the cleanliness of the ice, which is largely out of your control, there are three primary factors that impact the expected life of a brush head: position, pressure and playing frequency.

Position
Front end players, our leads and seconds, do a lot more sweeping than those playing vice or skip, so if you play this position you will need to replace your brush head more frequently.

Pressure
Do you brush really hard and apply a lot of pressure when you sweep, or would your sweeping action qualify more as a gentle dusting of the ice? The higher the intensity of your sweeping, the greater the wear and tear on your brush head.

Playing Frequency
The final element in the equation is the number of games you play over the course of a week or month: the once-a-week recreational curler will definitely not need to replace brush heads as frequently as the individual who curls 3-4 (or more) times per week.

How do you assess that brush pad?

Comparing a new curling brush head with one that needs to be replaced

The first step is simply to look at it. How dirty is the surface? The sides of the head will generally show the original colour of the pad so compare that to the colour of the pad on the brushing surface.

The second step – and to me this is the more important one - is to run my fingers over the surface of the brush head. Is it smooth as silk? That might be a good thing if you were looking for a new blouse or silk tie, but a clean brush head should have some texture to it. Normally the areas which feel very smooth will appear to be a bit shiny, smooth and shiny likely means it is time to invest in a new brush head.

If you are using Goldline’s Norway pad, similar guidelines apply. It is time to replace the head when the fabric gets shiny or when the ridges on the pad are worn down to the point that the threading is starting to wear.

There are no hard and fast rules on this but I think that for most club curlers it is worth investing in a new broom head at least once per season at the start of the season. And for those playing more frequently or who are very effective at sweeping, a mid-season replacement may very well be in order.

Once you’ve attached a new head to your brush, take care of it the best you can during the season. If you are using a nylon pad, make use of the brushes that are normally provided in the ice shed and clean off the head frequently during a game (oh, and by the way, make sure to do your cleaning away from the ice surface!). Should you be using a Norway pad, avoid the brushes - just clean the surface of the pad using the palm of your glove, or by gently running the brush against the carpet.

The holiday season has arrived! And here at Goldline, we have some holiday specials that should put a smile on any shopper’s face.

A broom, although difficult to wrap, is a great gift for the curler on your list.

Due to excess inventory, we are reducing the price on our Fiberlite curling brooms in mocha (1" and 1 1/8") and denim by 25% – instead of our regular price of $79, you will only pay $59.25 from now until Christmas.

Happy Holidays everyone!

A pair of curling shoes: this is the key piece of equipment that any curler will ever own.
With the holiday season quickly approaching, maybe you have thought about purchasing curling shoes for that important curler in your life. But then you think to yourself, “Shoes? How can I possibly buy shoes for someone else?” Whether you are a curler yourself or simply an armchair curling quarterback, there are two things you need to think about when you embark on your shopping expedition.

Righty or Lefty

The first question you will generally be asked when buying a shoe is whether the curler is right-handed or left-handed. For the veteran curlers reading this note, this may seem to be a ridiculous question. But for those who know nothing about the sport, they often think that being right-handed means the slider is on the right foot (trust me, I hear it in our retail store all the time)! In curling, if you hold and release the rock with your right hand, the slider will go on the opposing (ie. left) foot, and vice versa.

Experience Level

In curling, with experience comes improved balance and stability (at least one hopes that is the case). And as balance improves, one generally begins to think more seriously about the Teflon that is used on the surface of his/her shoe. Teflon is the most common material used for sliders and comes in a variety of thicknesses. If you don’t know why the thickness of Teflon is important, the easiest explanation is as follows: for a given amount of leg drive (out of the hack), the thicker the Teflon, the further one will travel down the ice.

Curling Shoes with 1/4" vs. 3/32" Teflon Sliders

Perhaps your spouse/child/significant other started curling this year. In many cases, (s)he has started the same way thousands of other new curlers out there do: (s)he’s sticking sliding tape to the bottom of his or her shoe, or using a slip-on or step-on slider.

For these individuals, the move to a curling shoe will generally lead to a huge improvement in their balance and stability. Now when it comes to a shoe for newer curlers, I would suggest a thinner slider. Newbies really don’t need the speed associated with a thicker slider as their primary objective is to stay upright. At Goldline, our two most popular choices for beginners are the Glide, with a 1/16” inch thick slider and is available for both men and women, and the Podium Bronze shoe, which comes with a 3/32” inch thick slider and is also available for for both men and women.

For those who have played a bit longer and/or have achieved a good sense of balance and stability out on the ice, the preference is often towards a thicker slider. Goldline offers numerous choices for these individuals. Our Podium Silver shoe (men's / women's) comes with a 5/32” inch thick slider, and in addition to the regular fit it is also available in a wide fit for both men and women. At the top thickness we have our Podium Gold shoe, which has a ¼” thick slider for men or women, as well as our G Force shoe, which is our newest offering this season.

Shoppers: if curling shoes are the gift that will put a smile on your loved one’s face but you are still very hesitant about whether you’ll pick the right style and size, you can always purchase a gift card. You can even clip out one of the pictures of the different Goldline curling shoes shown below and include it with the card so that there is no uncertainty as to your intentions. Or, if you really want to be able to wrap up a pair of shoes in your best wrapping paper and decorate with the most beautiful bow you have, rest assured that Goldline would be happy to exchange shoes for the proper size, or provide a full refund within 30 days of purchase.

For those who are just now compiling their wish list, simply clip out this column and attach it to your annual letter to the jolly old man up north, or discreetly slip it into the hands/purse/newspaper of that special someone in your life (hopefully they can take a hint!).

Canada’s favourite sport: Is it hockey? Is it curling? There’s no need to choose. Take your passion for hockey out onto the curling ice and sweep that winning shot into the house using exclusive NHL curling brooms from Goldline!

We certainly haven’t seen much NHL hockey action so far this season, but at Goldline, hockey is definitely in the house. We are happy to announce that we now have brooms that feature the logos of each of our Canadian NHL teams. From the west coast to the east coast, we have them all: Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and Montreal Canadiens. The brooms feature a light weight composite handle, and images and logos of each team are featured on the broom handle as well as on the accompanying pad.

If you haven’t started your Christmas shopping yet, this may be the gift that will put a smile on your loved one’s face. And if you’re just now writing up your wish list, let Santa know if you’ve been naughty or nice. If you've been nice, you may get the coveted Leafs broom; if you're naughty, don’t be surprised if the Canadiens broom finds its way down your chimney! Note from the editor: the opinions expressed are those of the author only; please feel free to change team names as you see fit.

Foster Hewitt, the legendary Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster, was renowned for his classic phrase “He shoots, he scores!” Let your team mate shoot, but make sure he scores by sweeping his rock to the button using your NHL-licensed broom from Goldline!

All of our NHL-licensed equipment is now available on-line as well as at each of our retail stores.

In a curling game, players (other than the skip) throw only two rocks but sweep six others. The importance of sweeping cannot be underestimated! Good sweepers can make the difference between an average shot and an amazing shot. Given the importance of sweeping, it should come as no surprise that curling brooms (or curling brushes) are the second most important piece of curling equipment, ranking only behind curling shoes.

If you are like many curlers, you probably started off using a club broom that was available at your curling club when you took up the sport. But as you continue to play the game, you may be wondering whether it is time to invest in a broom of your own.

Material Choices for Curling Brooms

The broom handle, or shaft, is typically comprised of some combination of wood, fiberglass, and/or carbon fiber. And with such a wide variety of materials used, it leads to a broad range in the weight of brooms. Weight is key: the lighter the broom, the easier it is to apply pressure when brushing and the more effective a sweeper you will be.

Generally speaking, the greater the proportion of carbon fiber, the lighter the broom. At Goldline, we have two choices in handles. Our Carbon Fiber broom handles weigh between 170 and 200 grams (depending on the diameter of the shaft) whereas on our Fiberlite brooms (which are basically comprised of 65% fiberglass and 35% carbon fiber), the handles weigh between 270 and 300 grams.

If you’re just starting out, you don’t need to invest in a carbon fiber broom: a Fiberlite broom will already be much lighter than the club broom you’ve used previously. At some point, though, the logical choice may be to take the extra step and invest in a 100% carbon fiber broom.

Handle Diameter of Curling Brooms

Typically, broom handles come in different sizes to accommodate varying hand sizes. At Goldline, we offer 1” and 1-1/8” handles on our brooms. Which size handle you prefer is entirely a matter of personal taste; there is no requirement that women use a broom with a thinner handle while men use brooms with a thicker handle. When shopping, make sure to hold brooms with differing sizes of handles in your hands and determine which feels most comfortable.

Types of Heads on Curling Broom

Horse Hair Curling Broom Head

Synthetic Curling Broom Head

The vast majority of brooms come with a swivel head and a replaceable synthetic pad. This type of broom will be very effective on curling club ice. While the brush itself can last many years, the pads are replaceable and should be replaced at least once per season.

In addition to the synthetic head Goldline has reintroduced a horse hair head this year, which is generally felt to be more effective on frosty ice, found in arenas and at televised events (where crowds and cameras combine to increase the frost on the playing surface).

Once the choice of material, diameter of shaft, and type of head are made, the toughest decision remains: colour. At Goldline, we have a wide variety of colours available in both our Carbon Fiber and Fiberlite brooms. New colours this year include Metallic White in our Carbon Fiber line, and Steel and Ebony in our Fiberlite line. And if your current broom is still in excellent condition, evaluate if your synthetic pad needs to be replaced, or perhaps it’s time to try a Norway pad!

Buying your own broom: it’s a small investment which will make a world of difference in your game.

Look here for answers to your most pressing questions on curling pants and grippers...

Dr. Goldline

An important note to our readers: Dr. Goldline is not a real doctor, in any way, shape or form; the moniker is used purely for entertainment value. In addition, the views expressed are entirely those of the author and not of management or any other curler. As the saying goes, “Put 3 lawyers/mathematicians/scientists (or curlers!) in a room and ask them the same question, and you’ll get 3 different answers”.

I love the sport of curling. When I am not writing my blog or curling, I sometimes moonlight as a sales clerk at one of Goldline’s retail stores. On these occasions, I have the opportunity to speak with many of our customers. I’ve decided to periodically share with you, through this column, some of the more frequent questions I receive from the curlers out there, and my answers to them.

Question: Dr. Goldline, can I wear jeans when I curl?

Honestly speaking, jeans would not be my pant of choice for curling. There are 3 things that come to mind when I think about wearing jeans during a curling game.

Can you imagine wearingthese while curling?

Stretch: Imagine yourself crouching down and preparing to deliver your rock. Do your jeans have enough stretch in them to ensure that blood circulation to your lower extremities is not cut off when you get down into the hack? Some of you may answer yes but I’m guessing most of you will say no. During the course of the game, you are leaning over and pressing down on the broom as you sweep. The button fastener of your jeans may accentuate your trim waistline but it may also leave you panting that much harder after a quick sweeping session down the ice. Stretch is the first thing you need to think about when you select pants to wear out onto the ice.

Warmth: The second key thing to remember about jeans is that your designer duds may look really cool, but they are also going to keep you real cool. Denim is not known for its thermal qualities; in fact, over the course of a typical 2-hour game, the fabric is going to cool down and the limbs lying beneath the fabric are likewise going to cool down. Not everybody gets cold out on the ice but if you are one of those people that bundles up when the temperature drops below 25ºC, you may find it more comfortable to be in pants that provide warmth (or at least enough room so that you can fit a pair of long underwear underneath).

Slide: When you first start to curl, the first and foremost thing you need to achieve is balance. Most people sliding out on ice for the first time ever with a piece of Teflon under their foot do not automatically have the greatest sense of stability and often their first instinct when they begin their slide is to drop their knee down onto the ice. Well, when you put a knee covered with denim down onto the ice surface, it is likely you will come to a screeching halt and will lose any forward momentum you had in your delivery.

To be comfortable and warm, wear pants that have sufficient stretch that you can easily crouch down into the hack, and keep you as warm as you need to be to make it through to the end of a game.

Goldline has a large selection of curling pants for both men and women. Women’s styles include the Kalynn, Allure, GLX and Monaco, while the men can choose from the Kanata, GQ, GLX and the all new Mojo.

Question: Dr. Goldine, how do I know when it is time to replace my gripper?

The gripper: it is such a key piece of your curling equipment (typically you have a removable gripper protecting the shoe on which the Teflon is secured, and a permanent gripper on the other shoe).

With respect to the removable gripper, I suggest that you replace it at least once per season at the start of the season.

But many people say to me, “Dr. Goldline, my gripper looks just fine. I don’t see why I should replace it.”

Here are my tips for assessing the condition of your gripper (or, as some may call it, an anti-slider):

Do you feel secure when you are out on the ice and as you are sweeping a rock down a sheet of ice? If you get the sense that your foot is slipping or sliding more than is normal as you move down the ice, then take a good look at your gripper before you end up taking a spill out on the ice.

Look at the outside of the gripper. The most obvious areas of wear and tear are on the outer edges of the gripper where the sides meet the sole. If the surface is quite smooth, it is likely you are not getting the grip you want. Also, look at the upper edges of the gripper. Are there any gaps or notches in it? If you grip the upper edge of the gripper with two fingers and gently pull, does the rubber surface move in and out like an accordion? If yes, your gripper has seen better days.

Make sure top of gripper is free of notches

Beware of wear and tear on inside of gripper

Run your fingers over the surface of the gripper. Again, you may feel there are areas which are very smooth to the touch, indicating spots where the rubber surface has worn away, thereby lessening the effectiveness of the gripper.

While the outside of the gripper is subject to the greatest level of scrutiny, it is frequently the inside of the gripper that is a real problem spot! Your shoe will gently rub away at the inside of the gripper, causing small particles of rubber to release from the surface. As you remove the gripper, these minute particles often stick to the bottom of your shoe and get dispersed out onto the ice surface. In fact, rubber debris from the inside of the gripper can be a common cause of picks during the course of a game! Make the ice technician at your club happy: replace your gripper regularly and help keep your ice surface clean.

Goldline Grippers in Black and Pink

Some people also notice that the permanent gripper on their shoe shows signs of wear and tear (in my experience, this is often caused by curlers using their feet to move rocks around in the house). There may be no need to buy a new pair of shoes if this is the case: having a new permanent gripper applied on the shoe may extend the life of your current curling shoes for many years.

Goldline has grippers available in a wide variety of sizes, in both basic black and bubblegum pink. We also provide many services, including toe coats as well as slider and gripper applications.

Many of you out there are already familiar with the shoes available from Goldline. The Glide curling shoes are the perfect entry level shoe: they're comfortable and, with a 1/16” inch thick slider, they have speed that is well suited for those who are just seeking to find their balance out on the ice. Our Podium series curling shoes continue to be a top seller. Whether it is the Bronze shoe, with its 3/32” inch slider, the Silver at 5/32” of an inch, or the Gold, which comes with a ¼” slider, we are pretty certain you can find a shoe in the Podium series that will serve you well, whether it be at your next club game or at a provincial or national playdown.

Ladies' G Force Curling Shoes

So you may well be wondering why Goldline felt the need to add the G Force curling shoes to our catalogue. To learn more, we spoke with Doug Flowers, President of Goldline.

Stated Doug, “Our real target for the G Force shoe was the younger curler. We saw many strong curlers coming up through the bantam and junior ranks who were clearly ready for a shoe with a ¼” slider, but the price point on these shoes was really too high for them. Our aim was to produce a high performance shoe with a ¼” slider that would retail for under $200.”

Given the shoe was geared toward the younger crowd, the look was pretty key. The G Force has retro styling and looks more like a skateboard shoe than a golf shoe. At the same time, sacrificing quality to reduce the price was not an option. So, just like Goldline’s other shoes, the G Force is made of leather (as synthetic materials typically do not stand up well to the wear and tear of the game, and do not provide the same degree of warmth as leather).

Many who have examined the shoe first hand comment on the weight of the shoe. The combination of ¼” Teflon and leather do add some weight to the shoe but this is more than offset by the stellar performance and quality of the shoe. Remember this: picking up a shoe is different than wearing it out on the street. And your legs are typically much stronger than your arms, so the weight will not be noticeable once you are out on the ice. Certainly, those who are using the shoe have commented very favourably on its fit and performance.